Freedom Chapter 9

By J.L. Pitard

Standard disclaimer: All characters belong to Kohta Hirano and his publishers. I have no stake in them...

-------------------------------------

"Alucard!" Integra yelled. She did not like the sound of this. He appeared in the chair near the balcony. Legs stretched out as if he'd been there some time. His face covered in the shadows of his red hat. He looked calmly over top of his small tinted glasses.

"Orders, my Master?" He purred.

"What are you doing receiving mail at this address?" She had Waltham's report in her hand.

He gave her no answer.

"This is not acceptable, Alucard!" She had Walter's copy sent out for translation, but he'd implied that whatever was happening, it would be soon. Tonight? "Tell me what was in it!" She knew her pitch had gone higher with her anger, but she couldn't help it. Integra did not like to sound like a little girl, especially with Alucard, who was hard enough to control as it was.

Alucard would usually play with her more, but he decided that the excitement wasn't worth annoying her tonight.

"A personal correspondence, nothing more."

"I WILL FIND OUT!" She stood next to her desk, and smacked it with her hand for emphasis.

"If there are no orders, Police Girl and I will be out for some training." He regarded her calmly as she tried to digest this. He knew she had no plans to send them out tonight, but she paused to think.

Integra had nothing firm, but Walter had said the card was an invitation of some form. A slavic language possibly or an archaic German, hard to decipher in such an ornate hand. Vague and unsettling.

"I want you each to take teams. We have to clear the last known ghoul infested areas." They glared at each other for a few seconds.

Integra decided to change the subject. It sickened her that this creature, who was so useful to her, was leaving her out of some important information. On the other hand, she had often trusted him with her life and the seals on him kept him from harming her, her family or those in her employ. Bloody clever, those seals.

"What has happened to the ghouls?" She sat down at her desk and looked at him again. He seemed to be thinking it through.

"They could be killing them as a way of cleaning up after themselves now that they have our attention, or they could be transporting them somewhere." Alucard shrugged. Ghouls were not smart enough to go into hiding so the fact that they weren't in any of the locations where they had been implied that someone was actively involved. He really didn't care about ghouls. Another night of pointless patrolling while an invitation hung in the air would be frustrating, however.

Sir Hellsing stood and began to pace, a nervous habit of her father's that she usually didn't engage in.

"They?"

Alucard shrugged. He stood, brushed off some imaginary lint and asked, again, "Orders?"

"How is Seras' training going?" It was wrong for him to have turned that girl, but Integra couldn't change what he'd done. It was also wrong for the girl to cling to her lost humanity. She had made a choice and Integra had done all she could to drive that point home. The rest was Alucard's problem. Really, it was funny to see how frustrated he got with his own disobedient servant.

Alucard pursed his lips slightly, then, with a shrug, "She is still taking too long to adjust to what she is, but she is enthusiastic, if that is the right word, about learning."

"I want you to report tonight after your...training." Integra looked him in the eye as she spoke, but he began to fade like the Cheshire cat until he was gone.

------------------

Walter had placed two ensembles on her casket hours before, but she was still in her Hellsing uniform when Alucard entered her room.

She had been studying the clothes as the door opened. "You could knock, master," she said.

"Yes," he replied, "or I can enter as I desire." He looked breathtaking in his black suit with a modern tie. She looked away.

"Walter said I needed to dress up, why?" Seras doubted that her sturdy bra would work under the flimsy tops. Either the fabric or a lot of wishful thinking would have to take up the slack.

"We have an invitation to meet a master vampire." He selected the red ensemble and walked it to her.

"Don't we just kill the other vampires?" Her eyes were wide as he began to unfasten the straps from the hanger. He didn't think he was going to dress her did he! She slapped his hand as he reached for her buttons, eliciting a soft hiss. "I can do this myself. Please wait outside." He hesitated, and then walked outside her door.

"Yes, Police Girl, we kill other vampires when they become nuisance enough to get the humans upset. We kill them for fun, for sport and because our master tells us to."

He heard her struggling to make sense of the straps.

"However, it is not polite to kill a vampire who has invited you for a meeting. Unless she tries to kill you." He listened. "Do you need help?"

"Eeep."

He was in the room behind her, discreetly assisting the delicate task of arranging and tightening the suit. One benefit to six centuries spent getting women out of their clothes, he thought with a lopsided grin. Alucard knelt to help her feet into the matching boots. His hands started to trace the line of her legs upwards.

"Um," Seras tried to distract him, "where are we going all dressed up?"

"We'll see when we get there," he answered and sat back to look at her, hands back by his sides. She and her body weren't on the same wavelength. Her body craved more of his touch. Much more. Seras shook her head, as if to clear it. "How will we get there?"

"Flying."

"Oh."

Alucard waited for it. "Master, I can't fly." Ah, too easy.

"I know that Police Girl. We'll work on what we can and you'll let me take care of the rest." She nodded.

"Master?" He was still on the floor looking as comfortable as he did on his throne-like chair. "I don't feel dressed in this." She looked down at the short dress. Her high-necked uniform dress was also short, but this one made her feel over exposed... all over. He regarded her for a second and decided to ignore her complaint.

"Come along." He threw a large dark coat at her, picked up her Casull and strode out the door.

------------------------

Rain distracted her as she tried to listen to him. Alucard was not exactly verbose. Until recently, she could hardly get any information out of him. Other than his concern about her not drinking blood, he had pretty much let her be. Of course, circumstances and her expanding abilities had thrown them together more. "...aspect of your self so you won't metamorphose, naked."

"What was that?" She shook her head, he'd been saying something about thinking before she zoned out.

"Draculina, you are such a waste of blood. I do not want to repeat myself. I do not want to try and explain..." He pulled at his well-behaved hair and it responded by going wild again. "...Any of this!" He paced a tight circle around her. "When we arrive, I do not want you to speak. At all!"

She nodded, looking miserable and sulky. He pondered leaving her. She was almost the lowest form of vampire, but arriving without her, well, the impression on his hostess would be wrong. Alucard relented. "Hide your weapon and try not to kill anyone. We are guests tonight and they are unlikely to kill you."

As she pondered that, he grabbed her, drew his coat around both of them and dissolved into the rainy night.